In the ongoing series against the West Indies, Indian bowling has looked off-colour. While inexperience has been one side of the coin, the other side has been a lack of ability to execute the right deliveries under pressure.
Former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif reminded the Indian side of the cliché that strong bowling lineups win the World Cups. He went down memory lane and reminded how India won the 1983, 2011 and 2024 World Cups.
“If you look at the 1983 World Cup final, we won due to our bowling. In the 2011 final, we restricted Sri Lanka to 270 and won. In the 2024 T20 World Cup final, we defended 170-odd against South Africa. So history says it. A good bowling team wins you trophies. So it is the responsibility of the captain to build a good bowling team. There is a lot of work to be done right now. You need to learn not to compromise on the bowling,” he said in a video on his YouTube channel.
Kaif also said it is important to give the longer ropes instead of putting them in and out of the side.
“First, they played Bishnoi. Now neither Bishnoi nor Kuldeep are able to play consistently. This is the irony. Zaheer Khan was young in the 2003 World Cup that we lost. It was overcast conditions also. But over time, he learnt. In the 2011 World Cup, he contributed and helped us win even in Indian conditions. So, with time you learn. But he also got that backing and was not dropped.”
The final T20I will be played on Saturday, and the former Royal Challengers Bengaluru player urged Iyer to have attacking intent.
“Shreyas Iyer has to make it clear to all bowlers that we need attacking bowling on such pitches where you cannot get away by looking to contain. You only have to look to pick wickets. We are not able to bring the perfection and execution at the moment,” Kaif said.